He says it himself: when there is a fight, he “likes it”. Rakhim Magamadov loves his sport, freestyle wrestling, and he already sees himself on the podium at the Paris Olympic Games in the summer of 2024. But, for the double European and world champion under 20 and champion of Europe U23, the road is still a little long before we can set foot and let off steam on the Olympic carpet.
The Franco-Chechen, who arrived in France at the age of 5, will have to go through Olympic qualifying tournaments. In the show “The Crusaders You Know”, Rakhim Magamadov spoke about his dream of competing in the Olympic Games, his career and his future (or not, depending on the dad) in MMA.
“You know the crusaders”, you know it well…
Since I joined Insep, my left knee has taken too much damage. I made myself cross, the intern. And at the U20 Worlds in August, I was the outsider, in the middle of the final, at the end of the first half. I didn’t know how I was going to get through it, because my knee was coming in and out, I felt it more, I felt like I had no support on it. When my opponent farted, he made a shocked face, he was scared, and so was I. I looked at my coach at half-time and told him it was over, that I was going to lose my title. But he encouraged me, and I got back into it, and I gritted my teeth. Usually, my guard is the left knee in front, here I put it behind to continue. The whole second half I was going backwards, but I ended up winning.
Why did you choose freestyle wrestling, rather than Greco-Roman wrestling?
My father did freestyle wrestling in Chechnya, and when we arrived in France, he wanted me to do it too. It was either wrestling or nothing, he didn’t want me to do other sports. So I started like that. When you’re a junior, you can do both styles, I tried the gréco, I didn’t like it at all, it was boring, it’s just rickshaw, there’s no actions. I like it when things go in all directions, when it’s a little crazy, so I opted for freestyle wrestling.
Culturally, in the Caucasus, wrestling is a bit like football…
Wrestling is the No. 1 sport in the Caucasus, and combat sports are at the top of the scale. The president’s sons, for example, do combat sports. Outside, you won’t see a kid playing football. When I went to Chechnya, during the holidays, I opened my gate, and I saw little ones in the grass fighting. It’s our culture, we have it in our blood.
How did you end up in the French team?
Me, in Chechnya, since we all do that, I would have had the same level as the others, but in France, we are ahead of the other wrestlers. When I arrived in Montauban, I was the strongest, no one gave me points. But when another Chechen came into the room, I was still the strong one, but there was a little more resistance. And, at the French championships, we were spotted by the selectors, I went through the France center in Dijon, where I spent two years, and I arrived at Insep at 16 years old. Since then, I have spent my entire life at Insep. I go to school at Insep, I eat at Insep, I sleep at Insep. The facilities are magnificent, we are seriously lucky. When we leave Insep, there are some who will cry, because here we really have everything.
At Insep, in the wrestling room, there are portraits of all the Olympic and world medalists. Does it put a little pressure?
When I see that, I tell myself that I have to do better. It’s not pressure, but motivation. Me, I know that I’m going to win, that I’m going to be better than everyone, but that motivates me. He did that, I’m going to do better.
How soon will we see your portrait in the room?
After the Paris Games.
You had your first chance to qualify for the Olympics, during the Senior World Championships in Belgrade, in September. You were eliminated close to the goal, in the quarter-final. What was your state of mind after this first senior competition?
I was frustrated, because I had to win this match. In the round of 16, I beat the person who finished third at the world championships last year. And the quarter, I had to win. It’s not that I saw myself as too handsome, but he surprised me, and on one action he folded the match. It’s my fault, I can only blame myself. I wasn’t paying enough attention, maybe I looked down on him. It doesn’t matter, in April or May, we will qualify, I know it, it’s obvious to me.
Did you feel a huge difference between the U20/U23 competitions and the seniors?
Physically, they have more strength. Afterwards, they are more vicious, more technical, more tactical. There are a lot of points that are changing. Between the juniors and the seniors, there is a world, it has nothing to do with it. I have to get used to it, it will take a year or two, but I’m ready.
If a freestyle wrestler faces a Greco-Roman wrestler, who does better?
Free them, we do much better. The Greeks, you grab their leg, they fall, they don’t know how to freestyle. We, the free, can fight in Greco. The free guys, they beat the Greeks from here, their coaches were losing their minds, saying it wasn’t normal. So, they did push-ups, pull-ups, ropes… Kind of punishment.
Are you thinking, in the medium or long term future, of converting to MMA?
I’m interested, why not later. I’ve already had offers, asking me to stop wrestling and come to MMA. But my father will never let me do that, he doesn’t like it, I think it’s dead for me. I’ll talk to him about it again, so he thinks about it carefully. He doesn’t like to see people hit each other, have their faces disfigured, be mean… Wrestling is traumatic, but you don’t hit with your fists or your feet.